Balaghat District Research Articles

A Study of the Bats in Different Temperature in May- Jun Month on Balaghat District Madhya Pradesh

A Study of the Bats in Different Temperature in May- Jun Month on Balaghat District Madhya Pradesh

Study of Seasonal Incidence of Rice Earhead Bug (Coreidae: Hemiptera)

This study investigates the relationship between climatic factors and the population dynamics of the rice earhead bug (Leptocorisa acuta) in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. Through correlational analysis, we examined the associations between rainfall, rainy days, morning relative humidity (RH), evening RH, evening vapour pressure, wind velocity, maximum temperature, morning vapour pressure, evaporation, sunshine, and the prevalence of rice earhead bugs. Results indicate a negative correlation between rice earhead bug population and both rainfall and rainy days, suggesting a potential suppression effect of increased precipitation on bug abundance. Morning RH, evening RH, evening vapour pressure, and wind velocity showed non-significant negative correlations with bug population, indicating that these factors may have limited influence on bug dynamics in our study area. Conversely, a positive non-significant correlation was observed between rice earhead bug population and maximum temperature, morning vapour pressure, evaporation, and sunshine. This implies that higher temperatures and increased solar radiation may have a subtle positive effect on bug abundance, although further investigation is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Overall, our findings shed light on the complex interplay between climatic factors and rice earhead bug dynamics, highlighting the importance of considering multiple variables in pest management strategies for rice cultivation.

Burden of malaria during pregnancy in perennial transmission settings of two densely forested and remote blocks (Baihar and Birsa) of district Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, central India.

Background Malaria in pregnancy (MIP) is a major public health problem due to the vulnerability of pregnant women to infections, resulting in adverse maternal/foetal outcomes in endemic areas. Methods We did a field-based study to assess the burden of MIP (prevalence at the time of enrolment and follow-up) and to identify risk factors for MIP in the Birsa and Baihar blocks of district Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, which have perennial malaria transmission. Malaria screening (during 2015-2017) was done by microscopy and bivalent rapid diagnostic test (SD Bioline RDT, malaria antigen Plasmodium falciparum/Plasmodium vivax Pf/Pv). Dried blood spots were used for haemoglobin estimation. Sociodemographic details with past and present pregnancy status were obtained. A subset of pregnant women were followed up for malaria during pregnancy. Women were also screened for malaria post delivery. Malaria treatment was given as per the National Guidelines of 2013. Multivariate analysis was done to assess independent risk factors for malaria. Results A total of 1728 pregnant women were screened, of which 1651 were included in the final analysis. Malaria prevalence at first screening was 23.4% (Pf 88%). Prevalence and Pf parasitaemia both were significantly higher among primigravid (G1) compared to multigravid (G>2; p value 0.012 and 0.019, respectively). Pregnant women of the Baiga ethnic group were more likely to have malaria compared to those belonging to the Gond group (OR [95% CI]; 2.4 [1.7-3.4]; p<0.00001) and non-indigenous group (OR [95% CI]; 8.3 [3.9-19.7]; p<0.00001). Primigravid status of women, first and second trimester of pregnancy, women belonging to indigenous ethnic tribal group and cash crop insufficiency for whole year (a socioeconomic indicator) in the family were the independent risk factors for malaria. Conclusion MIP is a major public health problem in forested tribal settlements of Birsa and Baihar blocks of Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh and requires immediate intervention.

Assessment of front-line demonstrations of mustard production in transfer of technology at Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh

Assessment of front-line demonstrations of mustard production in transfer of technology at Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh

Evaluation of Rice Varieties under Front Line Demonstrations in the Agro-climatic Zone of the Chhattisgarh Plains of Madhya Pradesh, under Irrigated Condition

Frontline demonstrations were conducted with recommended scientific package and practices at farmer’s fields in the Chhattisgarh plain agro-climatic zone of Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh to evaluate the performance of two rice varieties viz., JR-81 and JRB-1under irrigated conditions during Kharif 2019. The data on yield and economics of demonstrated under FLD, when compared with farmer’s practices on popular rice variety MTU-1010 revealed that both the rice varieties performed superior to MTU-1010. JR-81 and JRB-1with improved production technologies showed increased mean grain yield by 17.17% over existing farmers practice with Rs. 2450 ha-1 extra expenditure on inputs. The mean extension gap (7.80 q ha-1) and mean IBCR (4.78) recorded were sufficiently high, which may motivate the farmers to adopt JR-81 and JRB-1 varieties with the improved rice production technology.

Front-line Demonstration: An Effective Communication Approach for Dissemination of Sustainable Rice Production Technology

During four consecutive Kharif seasons in the years 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, front-line demonstrations were carried out in farmer's fields by the College of Agriculture, Waraseoni (Balaghat), Madhya Pradesh in the agroclimatic zone of the Chhattisgarh plains to assess the performance of rice Hybrids / varieties JRH-5, JRH-19, JR-81 and JRB-1 (developed by Jawaharlal Nehru Agriculture University, Jabalpur) under irrigated ecosystem. Front-line demonstrations, or FLDs, were carried out using a scientific package of rice technology practices. The yield and economic data of the plots that were on display were examined, evaluated, and examined with farmer practices (MTU-1010). With only an average of Rs. 2625/ha as an additional input cost in demonstrations using enhanced production technologies in FLDs, the mean grain yield increased by 23.80% over current farmer practices.Extension gap (10.48 q/ha), Technology gap (10.26 q/h) and the technology index is 15.79%. It is concluded that wide gap existed in potential and demonstration yield in high yielding rice varieties due to technology and extension gap in Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh.By conductingfront line demonstrations of proven technologies, yield potential of rice can be increased to a greatextent. This will substantially increase the income as well as the livelihood of the farming community.

Human Health Risk Assessment through Depiction of Major Ion Chemistry of Groundwater from Part of Balaghat District (MP), Central India

The key interpretations on the study concerning the human health risk appraisal and hydrogeochemical environment of major ions (cations and anions) of the groundwater samples from the part of Balaghat District (MP) latitude 21°31’42”: 2143’11” N and longitude 79°50’ 30”: 80°11’30”E., Central India are presented here. The pH and EC values were found to grade between 7.3 to 8.6 and 50 to 5080 µS/cm, unraveling the alkaline nature of groundwater and numerous phases of processes in groundwater characterization. The ion exchange along with the solubilization processes during the rock-water interaction undoubtedly represents the geogenic as well as non-geogenic sources for the salinity in the groundwater of the study area. The Ca2+ is predominant over the other cations, wherein the abundance succession of cations is Ca2+ &gt; Na+ &gt; Mg2+ &gt; K+ . The HCO3 - predominates over the other anions with the abundance succession as - HCO3 - &gt; Cl- &gt; NO3 - &gt; SO4 2- &gt; F- . The concentrations of the cations and the anions have been subjected to Aquachem4 software to get the Piper trillinear diagram for the groundwater samples of the study area and it has been found that the alkaline earths (Ca + Mg) exceed the alkalis (Na + K). The three major facies evaluated after the analysis from the study area are Mg-HCO3 (75%), Na-HCO3 (16%) and Ca-HCO3 (9%). The total health hazard quotient (THI) values due to NO3 - content range from 0.026 to 6972 mg/kg/day for the adult and from 0.034 to 1002.7 mg/kg/day for children. Similarly, the health hazard quotient (THI) values due to Fconcentration ranges from 0.01 to 0.19 mg/kg/day and from 0.02 to 0.52 mg/kg/day for adult and children respectively. Thus, the study points out that the children are more susceptible to the non-carcinogenic risk than to adults and may pose undesirable health effects.

Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Chickpea Productivity and Soil Fertility Status under Rice – Chickpea Cropping System at Farmers Field of Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh, India

Chickpea (Cicer aeritinum) is one of most important pulse crop which is grown in rabi season. The availability of nutrients in the soil for plant utilization is known to be affected not only by the inherent soil characteristics but also by the use of fertilizers and management practices followed for crop production. Therefore, a study on the effect of integrated application of inorganic fertilizers and organic manure (vermicompost) on rice productivity at farmer field was carried out at Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. In between the technology intervention, human resource development components were also included to improve the farmers understanding and skills about the demonstrated technology on nutrient management aspects. The demonstrations were conducted at different farmers' field at villages viz. Koppe, Chillod and Lendejhari on chickpea (variety JG 63) during rabi season 2018-19 and 2019-20 under Indian Council of Agricultural Research funded Project on Farmer FIRST, College of Agriculture, Balaghat (M.P.). Based on the basic soil properties of farmer’s field, the present experiment included four treatments viz., T1 = Farmer Practice (as Control), T2 = 100% NPK, T3 = 100% NPK + Zn, T4 = 75% NPK+ 5t/ha FYM ha and T5 = 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1+ Biofertilizers (BGA/Rhizobium&amp; PSB). Results indicated that the highest average yield of chickpea was achieved in 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1+ Biofertilizers treatment, whereas, lowest yield was recorded in farmer’s practice. The highest increase in yield (50.7%) was observed with 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1+ Biofertilizers, followed by 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1 treatments (47.5%) over farmer’s practice.

Spider Diversity in Wainganga River Basin of Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh

Spiders have a critical role in the ecological web. They are significant ecological indicators. In central India Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh is known for having the highest forest density, biological diversity, and ecological values. In the present study, a total of 65 spider species from 15 families and 47 genera were identified. In total, 2340 individual spiders have been observed in the Wainganga basin of Balaghat. Family Araneidae has the most species (30.76%) out of the 15 families studied. This was followed by Salticidae (21.53%), Lycosidae (10%), Theridiidae (10%), and Tetragnathidae (6.1%). Habitat heterogeneity, availability of water resources, rich vegetation, and an abundance of prey density ultimately increase the abundance and diversity of spiders in the present study site.

Earth observation approach for targeting stratiform deposit of manganese in central India

The stratiform manganese deposits, hosted within the Sausar Group of rocks, in Madhya Pradesh state of India, has undergone polyphase deformation and metamorphism. The region is an enterprising geosite to understand the lithological and tectonic control on manganese mineralization. We have carried out a conjugate remote sensing based analysis using Visible, Near Infrared and Short Wave Infrared bands (VIS-NIR-SWIR) of optical imagery from multiple sensors supplemented with analysis of L-band microwave data over the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh to delineate prospective areas for manganese exploration, supported by the lab and field-based evidence.The enhanced image products (i.e.band ratios, principal components) and spectral anomaly map derived from Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Sentinel-2B multispectral bands are used to delineate the lithological contrast of the host rock and indicate key locales of mineralization. The geological structures interpreted using the merged product of Advanced Land Observation Satellite Phased Array L-band SAR (ALOS PALSAR −1), Landsat 8 PC bands (2 & 3) and the processed Horizontal Gradient Magnitude (HGM) from advanced satellite gravity model (EIGEN-6C4), illustrates the structural control on the mineralization. The petrological details derived from the host rock samples shows microstructures like micro-folding, foliations, quartz grain elongation etc., thus representing the microscale deformations within the rock units occurring in the area.The lab-based spectral signatures of manganese-bearing host rock was resampled to image spectra and spectral anomaly map using ConstrainedEnergyMinimization(CEM), which shows good correlation with the existing mine locations.The information from remote sensing and lab analysis has been integrated thematically using the knowledge-based Weighted Sum Method (WSM) with existing mine locations as the training dataset. The derived mineral prospect map indicates several new areas of manganese prospectivity which can serve as a guide for detailed future explorations in the region .

Archaeological Investigations in Baihar Tehsil of District Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh

The district Balaghat of Madhya Pradesh comprises eleven Tehsils viz; Blight, Bihar, Brisa, Paraswada, Katangi, Waraseoni, Lalbarra, Khairlanji, Lanji, Kirnapur, and Tirodi. Various sites and monuments of the Bihar Tehsil were covered during the archaeological exploration. This paper presents the results of archaeological investigations carried out in the Baihar Tehsil of Balaghat District. Variegated material has been noticed and analysed in the present study to gain insight of the past culture. Besides some known archaeological sites, exploration brought to light a series of new ancient sites. Sites, monuments and art-relics of Baihardivulge the religious, social, artistic and different customary practices of ancient period.

Characterization of Soil Quality Parameters of Balaghat and Malajkhand Blocks in Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh, India

The investigation was carried out at the laboratory of Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Banaras Hindu University, Barkachha; Mirzapur, during the year 2021-2022. This study’s aim was to examine the different soil quality parameters and Nutrient index of the soil in the mining areas and normally cultivated areas in the Balaghat and Malajkhand blocks in the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. With the help of GPS camera, 75 soil samples were taken from farmer fields in 9 villages at a depth of 0-15 cm. The soil samples from both sites were reported to be neutral to slightly alkaline in nature, with mean values of 7.59 and 7.57 for both mining and normal cultivated area, respectively. Electrical conductivity for both the sites was low with a mean value for mining area and normal cultivated area were 0.34 dSm-1 and 0.42 dSm-1. High levels of organic carbon were found in the soil of both mine and non-mining areas, with mean values of 0.83% and 0.98 %, respectively. For all samples from both areas, the bulk and particle densities were within normal range, in mining area bulk density were observed high as compare to normal cultivated area and were observed to have the maximum pore space and water holding capacity. According to the nutrient index values of soil samples of Balaghat and Malajkhand blocks were found to be “Medium” for Phosphorous (1.80) andPotassium (1.99) and “Low” for Nitrogen (1.09) and Sulphur (1.12).

Rediscovery of Common Bean Landraces in Tribal Regions of Balaghat (MP), India

Phaseolus vulgaris L. is one of the most important legume grains for human as well as animal consumption direct and indirect Internationally. This crop shows a great phenotypic variation, which enables its production in a wide range of agroecosystems and cropping systems. These species are considered superfoods, but yet many of them are not part of our diets. In the tribal blocks of Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh (Baihar, Birsa, Paraswada, Lanji, and Kirnapur) A great genetic diversity in common bean (P. vulgaris) observed in wild populations, traditional varieties, and primitive landraces as well as been maintained at the College of Agriculture in Balaghat (MP).&#x0D; The importance of common bean landraces in agriculture cannot be neglected. Beans are rich in a variety of nutrients and a convenient plant source of protein and dietary fiber. Unbalanced food affects billions of people worldwide, leading to malnutrition and socio-economic complications as well. Many primitive landraces have medicinal properties, they contain folate, iron, thiamin, vitamin K, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and potassium it has an effective impact on human health such as promoting heart health, maintaining blood sugar, enhancing digestive functions, and repairing the body and supporting weight loss. Beans are edible in fresh, And canned forms. Dry beans are rich sources of iron also and this is so important for vegetarians and vegans as substitutes for nutrients from animal sources, especially iron. Conservation of genetic resources of common bean species in suitable banks is an important pillar for international food security.

Determination of Iron and Manganese in Various Water Sources from Selected Areas in Balaghat District

Determination of Iron and Manganese in Various Water Sources from Selected Areas in Balaghat District

Socio economic status of lac growing farmers of Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh and Gondia district of Maharashtra

To study socio economic status of lac growing farmers’, random sampling technique was followed to select lac growers and interviewed through a structured questionnaire on selected 40 farmers in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh and 31 farmers in the Gondia district of Maharashtra between 2020 and 2021. The study revealed that majority of lac growers of Balaghat (67.5%) and Gondia (48.39%) belonged to middle age group (35-55 years) and in terms of production, 42.5% farmers of Balaghat and 38.7% farmers of Gondia produced Rangeeni lac between 100-300 kg per annum. In Balaghat district, income from lac contributes 31.85% to farmer’s total household income and maximum farmers (27.5%) earned Rs. 10001-20000 per annum from lac cultivation whereas in Gondia district, lac income contributes 22.12% to farmer’s total household income and maximum farmers (22.6%) earned between 40001-60000 per annum from lac cultivation. Study revealed that most of the farmers of Balaghat and Gondia districts are getting supplementary income from lac cultivation, there is a need - for capacity building and awareness on scientific methods of lac cultivation to enhance production and income so can be developed as a successful model of income generation of local communities through lac cultivation.

Study of Flood Variation of Wainganga River Basin and Dhuti Dam with Impact on Crops at Balaghat Station (India)

The usefulness of the Dhuti dam and its importance for crop irrigation at the Balaghat station, located on the Waingang River in Madhya Pradesh, India, has been the focus of research on rainfall fluctuations in the Wainganga sub-basin. Wainganga is the largest peninsular river in India. Wainganga River flows for 635.40 kilometers. Until its confluence with the Wardha River, the Wainganga River has a catchment area of 51,000 km2. The basin spans the five districts of Maharashtra and three districts of Madhya Pradesh. The Wainganga Basin is also mentioned in "The Jungle Book" by the famous writer Rudyard Kipling. The Wainganga Basin is known for the production of rice and, more specifically, Chinour. Balaghat "Chinour" rice obtained G-Tag certificate in 2021, and is now internationally renowned and exported. Rice crops are irrigated mainly by water from the Dhuti dam throughout the year. The dam is very important for the development of rice crops in the region. Sir Jorge, a British engineer, built the dam between 1911 and 1921. It is one of the oldest earthen dams in India, sealed with lime mortar. Floods have affected the cultivated area and water demand in the Balaghat district area for the past few years. The intensity and duration of rainfall varies from year to year along with changes in climatic conditions. The effect of flooding in a given season, as well as basin factors such as variations in rainfall, coefficient of variance, and agricultural damage were examined.

Income and Employment Generation Activities among Farmer Beneficiaries through a Crop-based Module of Farmer First Programme

This paper is concerned with analyzing the impact of the Farmer First Programme in generating the income and employment of the farmers through a crop-based module of the farmer first Programme in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh State, the Farmer First Programme (FFP) is a concept of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) where the farmer plays a centric role for research problem identification, prioritization, and conduct of experiments and its management at farmer’s conditions. Its focus is on Farmer's Farm, Innovations, Resources, Science, and Technology (FIRST). A sample of 129 farmers from the Lalbarra block of Balaghat district was purposively selected because it's having a maximum area under Farmer First Programme. A total of five modules are going on in the Lalbarra block. out of which only Crop Based Module was selected because it consists of a high number of Beneficiaries. The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of the Farmer FIRST programme on the farming community in terms of income and employment generation during 2020-21, for finding the research issue, Ex- post facto research design was used. We employed absolute changes for assessing the Impact of the Crop Based Module of the Farmer First Programme by gaining the additional income of individuals which were computed by ascertaining pre and post-income and employment generation of individuals through FFP. It may be concluded that there is a significant and positive difference found in income and employment generation among the farmers through Farmer First Programme.

A study on growers of underutilized pulse crop Chani (Cicer arietinum L.) of Balaghat district, M.P., India

Chani or Chanoli (Cicer arietinum) is a unique small seeded underutilized gram traditionally grown in the Balaghat and some parts of Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. It is mainly grown for its unique taste and the medicinal properties. The present study was conducted to explore the importance of Chani/ Chanoli along with the constraints faced by farmers and their experiences. Ex-post facto research design and purposive random sampling method were used in the present study. Personal interview method was used for data collection. Results show more than half of the chani growing farmers were more than 50 years old, 61.67 % of the farmers had 5-10 members in their family, 55.83 % of the farmers are engaged in farming and animal husbandry as their occupation, having small land holding. About 40.83 % and 47.50 % of the farmers had primary level of education and their annual income from farming ranged between Rs. 2,00,000-4,00,000. Farmers also reported that chani is not only part of important traditional food but it also has lots of medicinal benefits. It helps to cure arthritis, piles, constipation etc. The low yield of crop, low market price and unavailability of pure healthy seeds were top ranked constraints; while proper market facility, availability of pure healthy seeds and promotional activities to popularize the medicinal and nutritional values of chani/chanoli were found to be top ranked suggestions.

Ethnobotany of Valuable Medicinal Plants Available in Chhattisgarh Plain Region of Balaghat District, Madhya Pradesh

Background: Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh is one of the largest tribal dominated district in Central India. Baiga and Gond are the main two tribes of the Baihar, Birsa, Paraswada, Langi, Kirnapur, Katangi, Balaghat, Waraseoni and Lalbarra tehsils of Balaghat district. These tribes have enormous knowledge about medicinal properties of the plant species available in natural ecosystems (forests and grasslands). Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the plants used by these tribes for seminal debility and other diseases. Methods: Survey was carried out during 2019-20 in Biahar, Birsa, Paraswada, Langi, Kirnapur, Katangi, Lalburra and Waraseoni tehsils of the district Balaghat. Judgmental/purposive sampling method used to collect the required information from the tribes of the locality. Result: Total 35 most important plants were used for curing various diseases and injuries. Along with their botanical description, we explained the method of intake of the plant medicines to cure the diseases. Around 39% of the plants used to cure seminal debility comes under herb category whereas shrub (28%), climber (11%), grass (6%), twiner (6%), small tree (5%) and big tree (5%). Whereas, 76% herbs utilized for curing other diseases, followed by shrub (18%) and twiner (6%).

Study on Adoption of Chinnor Rice Production Technology and Constraints Faced by Farmers of Balaghat District, Madhya Pradesh

The Study was conducted during 2019–20 to find out the adoption of Chinnor rice production technology by farming communities of the Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh, India. Farmers of an area were aware about technology invented by scientists of College of Agriculture, Balaghat. Adoption of interventions involved in given technology varied from 64–100%. Majority of the respondents respond to mixing of vermi-compost and other cakes in soil (77.72%), seed rate @ 20–25 kg ha-1 (69.40%), 2–3 times of ploughing (64.51%), recommended plant spacing (75.00%), organic manures for nutrient management (88.47%), mechanical method of weed control (94.96%), try biological control insect-pest (96.33%), manual harvesting as well as bagging method of storage (98.00%). Data indicates that the lodging of the crop due to height was the major constraint in their adoption and it ranks Ist as 68.33% respondents reported the problem of lodging. Long duration required for maturity of the Chinnor than other rice varieties was another limiting factor, ranked IInd with 61.67% farmers’ response, whereas less availability and high cost of pure seed of variety ranked IIIrd with 54.33% farmers’ response. Majority of respondents (36.33%) communicate with the scientists of the college and other institutions. With some improvements in qualitative parameters of the crop, adoption by farmers and yield of the crop will increase.